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12 Best Dry Shampoos for Fine Hair, Tested by Glamour Editors

 

As someone with super thin hair that’s also very oily, I completely understand the importance of finding the best dry shampoos for fine hair. Since, as you know, this wonderful hair type is especially prone to getting greasy, a dry shampoo can really come in handy before wash days. Not sure if you have fine hair? An easy way to check is to take to strand of hair and roll it between your fingers. “If you don’t feel it or it feels light, you have fine hair,” says Raven Hurtado, a hairstylist at Chicago’s Maxine Salon. “If you completely feel the hair, you probably have thick or textured hair.”

If you’re wondering why your fine hair is getting so greasy so fast, well, it comes down to your hair routine. “Thin hair, being finer and less dense, can easily become oversaturated with hair products. This gives the impression that it’s oily,” says Rogerio Cavalcante, a hairstylist and owner of NYC’s Second Floor Salon. Translation? Because fine hair is thinner, it tends to get weighed down—and appear oily—quicker than other hair types. So, when looking for a dry shampoo powder or spray, look for lightweight options that volumize without weighing down strands.

Cavalcante also recommends using a gentle shampoo for fine hair and minimal conditioner or leave-in products, and to avoid deep conditioning treatments. If you struggle with an oily scalp, consider adding a scalp treatment like a clarifying shampoo between washes. Cavalcante is a fan of The Roostist, which offers a great Clarifying Balancing Serum with salicylic acid that is easy to use. “Simply apply it to the scalp after washing your hair, every other wash, and style your hair as usual.”

Below, Glamour editors recommend dry shampoos they’ve tried and tested for fine hair.

Best Dry Shampoo for Fine Hair Overall: Olaplex No. 4D Clean Volume Detox Dry Shampoo

Oily, fine-haired girlies: Meet your new best friend. Beloved by beauty pros and editors alike, this innovative dry shampoo from Olaplex provides clean and weightless body while detoxifying the scalp. In fact, it’s so good that it won the 2023 Glamour Beauty Award for best luxury dry shampoo—and even won over my husband, who never cares about anything beauty related.

Obviously, I could go on and on about how well it works, how good it smells, and how it leaves little to no white cast. But I won’t, because what’s most impressive is that my husband, who truly has no feelings toward any hair products whatsoever, fell so deeply in love with my (first) bottle that he took it for himself. Now I have to replenish his stock along with mine because we’re both so obsessed. That, to me, is proof enough that this is the real deal.

Nearly a year after having first tested it, both my husband and I have remained loyal to the innovative dry shampoo—and eternally grateful that the company has since released a travel size version. My recommendation? Lift your hair at the roots and spray it about an inch above the scalp. It lifts roots for days!

Best Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray: Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo

A gold standard in the dry shampoo category, this is a favorite among consumers, hairstylists, and celebs alike. It’s also Hurtado’s number one recommendation for people with fine hair. “Living Proof Perfect Hair Day is great for fine hair because it’s light and absorbs oil and leaves no residue,” she says.

Glamour editors feel the same way. “What can be said about the Living Proof dry shampoo that hasn’t already been said? This is my go-to dry shampoo because its fast-absorbing powders leave my scalp feeling clean without any uncomfortable buildup or white cast,” says Glamour contributing editor Emily Tannenbaum, who’s been using this dry shampoo for years. “Sometimes I even use it just to add a touch of volume and texture to my hair if it’s feeling a bit flat, no matter when I last showered.”

How much everyone loves it comes as no surprise, seeing as it can make hair look bouncy and freshly blown out in less than five minutes. Bangs can be especially hard to refresh with a dry shampoo, which can often weigh them down. But this lightweight, silicone-free formula from the Jennifer Aniston–loved brand is a great quick fix for flat, greasy fringe. Plus, it also comes in a travel size!

Best Volumizing Dry Shampoo Powder: Rahua Voluminous Dry Shampoo

Not only am I obsessed with the cruelly underrated brand over all, but I tell everyone who will listen about this dry shampoo too. Composed of all plant-based ingredients and packaged in an environmentally-friendly nonaerosol dispenser, it’s hard to argue with something so compact, lightweight, convenient, and good for the planet. But best of all? It really, really works, and a little goes a long way.

Upon application, Rahua Voluminous Dry Shampoo’s texture, hold, and volume stand out no matter how you’re wearing your hair that day. Sprinkle a tiny bit on your roots for the ultimate root boost, to preserve a blowout, or on your way home from the gym. I do all three and then some, and keep it in my bag at all times. I’m not kidding. Want proof? I took this photo at work.

Best for Oily Scalp: Crown Affair The Refillable Dry Shampoo

“I’m so bad at traditional dry shampoo—I get ahead of myself, spray the product too close to my head, and end up having a white cast everywhere,” says Glamour beauty writer Valeriya Chupinina. “Someone recommended this Crown Affair The Dry Shampoo to me because of its ability to be precise. Instead of a spray nozzle, it’s a container with powder and a brush that is easy to maneuver wherever you’re starting to experience oiliness. I find that the product feels very light and leaves no color on the hair, making it perfect for an oily girl like me who needs to touch up the hair in the front of the head. Also, it’s so easy to travel with.”

It’s also the go-to powder dry shampoo of Glamour senior West Coast editor Jessica Radloff, who says, “I’ll never go back to an aerosol dry shampoo again because nothing is as good as Crown Affair’s dry shampoo in powder form. The kabuki brush helps me evenly apply the powder, and not only does my hair feel so much cleaner after, but my at-home blowout lasts at least three additional days.”

As for how to prevent hair from getting greasy in the first place? Hurtado recommends not touching or playing with your hair. “Our hands and fingers are constantly touching items that oils and germs can transfer onto your hair making your hair feel greasy and oily faster.”

Most Lightweight: Amika Perk Up Talc-Free Dry Shampoo

With a superfine mist that beautifully distributes throughout the hair to absorb oils, this Amika dry shampoo does exactly as the name suggests—perks up hair—thanks to rice starch and nourishing sea buckthorn oil (which you might recognize as a standout skin-care ingredient). But it’s the fresh scent of flowers mixed with warm laundry that makes this one stand out. Glamour senior commerce editor Jenifer Calle is also a fan. “It immediately adds volume and smells amazing. I love it so much that I carry a travel-size one in my bag,” she says.

Best for Sweaty Scalp: The Rootist Talc Free Dry Shampoo Powder

“If you're looking for a natural dry shampoo that creates volume, I recommend The Rootist Talc Free Dry Shampoo Powder,” says Cavalcante. “It's a powder formula that effectively absorbs oil and leaves your hair looking cleaner until the next day. The brush on application makes it easy to target specific areas.”

Best for Dark Hair: Batiste Dark Hair Dry Shampoo

I had brown hair so dark it nearly looked black for two years, and several dry shampoos I tried at the time made it look as though I was wearing a powdered wig. Fortunately, I found this best-selling drugstore staple by Batiste, which blends right into dark brown and even black hair, absorbing oil and adding volume. It's a 10/10 dry shampoo, truly, and at an incredibly affordable price to boot. Also of note? Hurtado is a fan.

Best for Light Hair: Enjoy Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray

Glamour’s senior global director of audience development Chantal Waldholz swears by Enjoy Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray. “Whenever I’m in a pinch, and I don’t have enough time to wash and style my hair, I reach for Enjoy,” she says. “With a couple of spritzes and a quick brush, my hair looks newly washed and lifted (the volume is there, folks—right in that little bottle),” she says. “My problem with dry shampoos is that I’ve felt most products have dried out my hair, but this is the first one that’s given me shine and body in all the right places. Many thanks to my hairstylist (shout-out to Alexa Scopo, founder of Village Vanity in Babylon, New York) for turning me on to this.”

Best for Red Hair: Klorane Dry Shampoo with Nettle for Oily Hair and Scalp

Clare O’Brien, interior designer and owner at Interior Clarety who is a natural redhead (a self-described ginger), enthusiastically recommends Klorane Dry Shampoo to everyone she knows (me included). “I’ve found it’s less stressful on my scalp skin than others I’ve tried, which left a ton of white cast and messed up the texture of my hair. Klorane, on the other hand, feels like you’re wearing nothing,” she says. “I also try to rub dry shampoo on my scalp, flipping my head upside down and rubbing it in like a scalp massage, and it still doesn’t show up on my red hair.”

Best for Styling: K18 Air Wash Dry Shampoo

Glamour beauty contributor Clare Holden loves cult favorite hair care brand K18’s Air Wash Dry Shampoo. “I love how invisible the translucent microbeads are on my dyed brown hair,” Holden says. “Even though it’s a spray, it doesn’t come in an aerosol and is my favorite option for in between washes.” It’s also an incredible option for finishing off bombshell blowouts: Spritz to your roots when you’re finished styling, and you'll have volume for days.

Best for Sensitive Scalp: Briogeo Scalp Revival Dry Shampoo Powder

Brigeo is beloved by Glamour editors, so it’s no surprise we love its innovative dry shampoo too. It’s especially ideal for anyone with an irritated and/or sensitive scalp or oily roots with dry ends. “This is a great product for oily hair because it’s made with charcoal, which is great for oil absorption,” says hairstylist Becca Raziuddin, who loves this product for its ability to gently clean the top of the hair.

Best for Colored Hair: Pureology Style + Protect Refresh & Go Dry Shampoo

Specifically formulated for color-treated hair, Pureology’s innovative dry shampoo absorbs oil and sweat without drying hair out or creating buildup; it adds movement, texture, and most important of all (for dyed hair girlies), provides ample color protection all-day-long.